68 Module 3 Sociocultural Forces of dress.9 Religion is also an area of personal belief in which ethnocentric tendencies can be quite strong. Following is a brief description of the main beliefs or principles that define five of the major religions found in the world, along with Figure 3.1, which shows the size of their following. Consider it simply a beginning for your further understanding of each. Christianity Christianity has many denominations, and all of them share a belief that there is one God who is revealed through human history. Christians believe Jesus was God’s son who came to earth as a man and lived in Israel, then called Palestine; he was killed about 30 ce by authorities of the Roman Empire but came back to life and ascended to heaven. Christians believe all who profess their faith in the Resurrection of Jesus will be received into heaven after death. Islam Islam, whose name comes from an Arabic word meaning “submitting,” began in the 7th century ce and, like Christianity and Judaism, originated in the Middle East. Islam professes belief in one God, Allah. Muslims (those who practice Islam) focus on living their lives according to God’s will, which is revealed through the Qur’an (the Scripture) and a long line of messengers. Mohammed is revered as the last and most important prophet of the religion and is believed to have received the words of the Qur’an directly from God in a series of visions. Buddhism Buddhism was founded between the 6th and 4th centuries bce in northeastern India. Based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, a royal prince who became known as the Buddha (Enlightened One), it encompasses several schools of thought established by different teachers over the centuries. In general, Buddhists believe earthly life, a continuous cycle of birth, death, and rebirth called reincarnation, is the cause of human suffering. When we finally escape this cycle to achieve a state of being called “nirvana,” we become, like the Buddha, enlightened. Hinduism The oldest of the major world religions, Hinduism began in India around 2500 bce. Hindus believe in one Supreme Reality, called Brahman, which takes many forms and names. They seek to be in harmony with Brahman by living an ethically good life through self-discipline, the sharing of wealth, and adherence to the teachings of the Scriptures (Vedas). Like Buddhists, they believe in reincarnation and hope to escape it to achieve union with God. Judaism Judaism began about 1900 bce in Israel, then known as Canaan, and shares with Christianity the belief that God acts in human history, especially in times of FIGURE 3.1 Followers of Five Major World Religions Religion Number of Followers (millions) Cultural Tradition Christianity 2,200 West Asian/Ambrahamic Islam 1,650 West Asian/Ambrahamic Buddhism 1,500 Indian Hinduism 1,000 Indian Judaism 18 West Asian/Ambrahamic Sources: World Christian Database Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary Centre for the Study of Global Christianity, http://worldchristiandatabase.org; Pew Forum, http://pewforum.org/Mapping-the-Global-Muslim- Population.aspx; and CIA World Factbook, 2014, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/ (all February 4, 2014).
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